The Best Burger in New York
The Best Burger in New York is the second episode of the fourth season of ''How I Met Your Mother''. The episode was written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and directed by Pamela Fryman. It first aired on September 29, 2008. Plot Summary When Marshall first moved to New York, he found a small burger place that made, in his opinion, the best burger in New York. The gang spend the episode trying to retrace Marshall's steps and find the burger. Synopsis Future Ted begins by stating that when he first moved to New York City, it was an ugly, dirty place, but goes on to say that unfortunately, it changed, with good bars becoming banks, like the bank Barney's company just bought, which he advises Marshall to get a job with. Lily rebukes this suggestion, saying even though Marshall had been to a lot of bad job interviews, he was still going to be an environmental lawyer. Later, the group go to the bar, and are advised by Wendy the waitress to have the burger, a new special. After an argument, they agree to try the burger, mainly because Robin hadn't eaten anything in two days due to a new diet. Once the burgers arrive (Robin's is late), the group all say how good the burger is, except for Marshall, who says it's just 'OK', seeing as he's already had the best burger in New York eight years ago. When Marshall first moved to New York, he was scared at first, but quickly finds the city is nicer than he thought. On his walk, he accidentally finds a burger joint, and has the 'best burger in New York'. He also notices an autographed picture of Regis Philbin on the wall, saying how good the burger was. Afterwards, he rushes to tell Ted about the place, but quickly forgets where it was, being new to the city. Since then, Marshall has tried every burger joint he can in an attempt to find the place, even meeting with Regis, who says he can't find where the place is either, and is also desperate to find it. He gives Barney his number so he can call him if he finds the joint. When Robin says she knows the place, the group rush downtown to find it (before Robin can try her burger). On the way, Barney texts Regis telling him where to find the place, causing him to leave a TV show recording. They all order the burger (Robin's is late, again), and once more they agree it's an incredible burger. Unfortunately, Marshall says it's not the right burger. Marshall becomes desperate, and Lily says he's upset about not getting a new job. The group resolves to find the place for Marshall, and ask a waitress for help. She tells them this burger joint was modeled after another one, uptown. Again, the group rush to the new joint. On the way, Regis calls, and Barney tells him about the new place. Once they arrive, Marshall is sure it's the right location, but in its place is an ATM from Barney's bank. Lily attacks Barney, and Marshall admits the reason Barney's been talking up the bank is that Marshall got a job there. While they talk, a guy nearby promoting a strip club tells them the place isn't gone, but has just moved. After paying him, thanks to the ATM, he tells them where the place is. Finally, the group reach the joint, and Marshall says it's the right place, and the group enjoy their burgers, along with Regis. Continuity *In Marshall's flashback, the couch shown in Ted's Apartment is the same brown leather couch shown in the beginning of Season 1 that was later exchanged for the red couch Gallery Memorable Quotes "Robin, it's so much more than just a burger. I mean, that first bite, oh, what heaven that first bite is. The bun, seasame-freckled breast of an angel resting gently on the ketchup and mustard below. Flavors mingling in a seductive ''pas de deux. And then, a pickle! The most playful little pickle. Then a slice of tomato, a leaf of lettuce, and a patty of ground beef so exquisite. Swirling in your mouth breaking apart and combining again in a fugue of sweet and savory so delightful. This is no mere sandwich of grilled meat and toasted bread, Robin. This is god, speaking to us through food." :—'Marshall''' tries to explain to Robin about the burger Notes and Trivia Goofs and Errors Allusions and Outside References *The exchange between Barney and his "booty call" at 3:00 AM is the transcript of the actual telegraphic conversation between Victor Hugo and his publisher Hurst and Blackett in 1862. Hugo was on vacation when Les Misérables was published. He telegraphed the single-character message "?" to his publisher, who replied with a single "!". *Ted's reference to Stella's eyes as being "the color of the ocean after a storm" is a slightly misquoted version of a line from the 1987 film "The Princess Bride" starring Carey Elwes and Robin Wright Penn. Buttercup (Robin Wright) describes Wesley's (Cary Elwes) eyes as being "like the sea after a storm". *The opening crawl while Stella and Ted watch Star Wars is taken from the prequel trilogy not from A New Hope *Marshall's reference to knowing the place was on a numbered street is a joke on the fact that most of the streets in Manhattan are numbered either streets (east/west) or avenues (north/south) *Two of the locations Future Ted mentions as being closed are The Elbow Roomhttp://www.clubplanet.com/Venues/71112/New-York/Elbow-Room and Fezhttp://nymag.com/listings/bar/fez/ which were both real locations in New York City which are, in fact, now closed. The location where Fez used to be actually is now a bank, though not a GNB; it's a Wachovia bank. Music Other Notes Reception References See also External links Category:Episodes Category:Season 4